


A Little Brother

by JEAikman



Series: The Musketeers - prompts and one-shots [15]
Category: The Musketeers (2014)
Genre: AU to Sleight of Hand, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, injured d'Artagnan, what is it about this episode that leads to extensive whump of the gascon?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2018-01-15 16:54:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1312279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JEAikman/pseuds/JEAikman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>d'Artagnan's injuries after Vadim's gunpowder plot are not quite as "slight" as he thought. Cue worried Musketeers and a practically inconsolable Constance.<br/>They cannot lose their little brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Brother

After the explosion, Athos groaned and rolled himself over with great effort. He looked over at Porthos, who seemed to be in the same sort of state.

"Anything broken?" Aramis was hovering over the pair of them. Athos shook his head.

"We escaped relatively unscathed, I believe." He stood and assisted Porthos in getting to his feet. They all shared a look before nodding and heading off after Vadim, and they could only pray that d'Artagnan was still among the living.

 

D'Artagnan was alive, as it happened, and he knew he had to catch up to the man who had made such a fool of him. He was hurting, but he ignored it, figuring it was just aches from the blast, knowing he had to find Vadim.

"You're full of surprises" The thief told him when he caught up, tricking him into not knowing where he was. It was almost amusing to see the shoe on the other foot. Vadim had no hope of beating him when it came to swordplay though, so d'Artagnan quickly ran him through, but he still managed to get away. D'Artagnan was about to move forward to go after him when there was a sharp pain in his ribs. He bit his lip to stop a groan from passing his lips, and he could hear gunshots and the footsteps of his friends.

 

Athos was beyond relieved to see the boy alive. When the explosion had happened, he had feared the worst, but he could not express his relief particularly eloquently

"So you are alive then?" He asked. D'Artagnan's smile was strained, but then, they still had a thief to catch.

"I think so" He decidedly did not like the way that sounded, but he put it to the back of his mind, after all, they had a duty to complete.

"Where's Vadim?" d'Artagnan stared down at his sword, and Athos noticed it was bloody, he knew the answer before the Gascon even spoke.

"Wounded, badly. He can't have gone far" And so they run in the direction which d'Artagnan indicated, Athos taking up the rear, and there was something not right, he felt, but he could not quite place it. Just a general sense of foreboding. But why could that be, when Vadim merely collapsed and took his last few breaths?

"-A good trick, it should've worked" He heard him say. But it was d'Artagnan's reply that set Athos on edge, and he was sure that at the very least, Aramis shared his apprehension when they shared a look.

"It very nearly did." How nearly? He watched as d'Artagnan stood from where he had crouched next to the dying criminal, and saw the boy's eyes widen and his face pale as he tried to take a deep breath. He made to move forward as he saw him collapse, but Aramis was there first, holding him up and slowly lowering him into a sitting position. He motioned to Porthos to come and support the lad whilst he checked for the cause of their young friend's collapse. He tilted his head gently and felt around until he could feel blood on his hands.

"You took a blow to the head?" He asked quietly. D'Artagnan murmured his agreement to that, leaning heavily against Porthos' shoulder, wanting very much just to go to sleep. Aramis saw his eyes fluttering and his heart lurched. "d'Artagnan. I need you to stay awake, alright? I need you to tell me if you are hurt anywhere else. Can you do that for me, d'Artagnan?" The Gascon nodded and took in a careful breath - or at least, he tried to be careful, but something felt very wrong. A wave of pain hit him and he bit back a whimper.

"Ribs." He managed to gasp out through the pain. Aramis' eyes widened in shock, but he clamped down on it. Panic would not help d'Artagnan now.

"Alright. We'll just take a look at you, then. But you have to stay awake. Athos" he called when he saw that the older man was watching helplessly with a terrible expression of guilt on his face, "distract him. Keep him awake, keep him grounded." Athos swallowed nervously and complied whilst his friends removed the boy's jacket and shirt.

"d'Artagnan, listen to me, damn you. Don't you dare close your eye-" He was cut off as Aramis gasped. He looked up sharply at him from where he had been keeping his eyes on d'Artagnan's face.

"He has at least two broken ribs, and, if I'm right in my suspicions, it is very possible that there might be some internal damage." Athos felt his blood run cold at his friend's words. Internal injuries very were very rarely survived. D'Artagnan sighed tiredly and sagged against Porthos' broad chest. For a moment, Aramis panicked, but he could see the rise and fall of  their injured friend's chest.

"And your suspicions are?" Athos asked him urgently. Aramis looked from his patient's bruised form to his friend and ran his hand through his hair.

"He was far closer than any of us to the source of the explosion, Athos. These are blast injuries." Aramis informed him.

"What can we do?" Athos asked after taking a moment to recover his wits. His hands were shaking.

"You, Athos, can find Treville and inform him of what happened, and make him send his best surgeon to the Bonacieux' house. Porthos, you'll carry d'Artagnan there, and I will accompany you and tend to him as best I can" Athos nodded, and taking one last long look at the young Gascon - what if this was the last time he saw him breathing? - And he ran to Treville's office, heart pounding and his brain being wonderfully helpful and substituting Thomas's face in his memories with d'Artagnan.

 

He did not expect to find both halves of the Bonacieux couple arguing with Treville and he really did not have the time for them right now.

"Captain!" He called to get the man's attention.

"Athos? What's wrong? Did Vadim escape?" Athos shook his head, catching his breath.

"No, no, sir, it-" His voice caught, "It's that d'Artagnan was badly injured in the blast. Aramis is wor- worried that there could be internal bleeding, and he's broken ribs. He was unconscious when I left. But still.... alive." Constance gasped in horror, and Monsieur Bonacieux just huffed angrily. He'd evidently been told of d'Artagnan's true purpose, or else he might have spouted vitriol about how he deserved whatever he got, but as it was, Athos still wanted to beat him bloody - how dare he?  It must have shown on his face, because Treville stood and put a hand on his arms, ordering quietly,

"Athos, calm." Unthinkingly, the soldier in him obeyed. This was not the time for violence. D'Artagnan needed them now. "I will call upon my best surgeon - you took him to his own lodgings, I assume?" Athos nodded and thanked the captain with a nod, rushing out the door with Constance hot on his heels.

"Athos!" She called after him as she picked up her skirts and all but sprinted to keep up with him. Her face was like thunder, but Athos just made his way to the room where he knew d'Artagnan to be.

 

His face was pale, and his breathing harsh and laboured, but he was conscious now. Athos almost sagged in relief at the fact the boy had not died in the time that he had spent talking to Treville.

"The surgeon is on his way" He informed Aramis, who was kneeling at d'Artagnan's bedside and had cleaned and bandaged the Gascon's head wound and was currently attempting to convince him to swallow a pain draught.

"A...th's?" d'Artagnan asked, turning his head a little in the direction of the door, and eyes widening a little when he noticed Madame Bonacieux. "S'rry C'nstance. Di'nt mean f'r... t' be s'much trouble." He gave her a weak smile and she would have fallen to her knees sobbing if Athos had not caught her and sat her down on the chair.

"You stupid, stupid boy" she scolded, though her voice was heartbrokenly fond, and her whole body shook with sobs. D'Artagnan said nothing but Athos could tell that he did not want Constance to see him like this, he was pleading with Athos to see that.

"Madame, perhaps you could prepare some more bandages, for when the surgeon arrives?" Numbly, she stood and nodded, walking out the door with red rimmed eyes.

"Th'nks, 'Thos." He was trying so very hard to stay awake, for them. All of this, he had done for them - and they had allowed him to and he had been the one to pay the price for it. He looked at Porthos who was standing in the corner with his arms folded and his jaw clenched. Athos could see he wanted to punch something. But the enemy were already defeated and one of their own - one of their _brothers younger brother just like Thomas and you've failed him all over again_ , Athos's subconscious screamed at him - was lying on a bed, tired and injured and possibly dying. He could hear Aramis mumbling prayers, for the wounded, for the sick, he was avoiding anything close to the verses which touched on death.

"don't thank me. Look at what happened... we didn't do enough to protect you. You didn't know what you were doing - if only I had never let you do this. You wouldn't be lying here. You'd have been safe." His own voice was hoarse and it seemed d'Artagnan was surprised by this burst of sentiment because he looked quite shocked, but then gave him a wry smile.

"When I first came... to Paris... I tried to kill you. Then you almost got executed-"

"But you helped to save me, didn't you? I knew as long as I had these two idiots I'd be alright" Athos replied. D'Artagnan nodded, then winced at the pain that caused in his head.

"Well. I have you _three_ idiots to take care of me, so I'll be just fine." And Athos heard the unspoken _There is no one I trust as I trust the three of you_ in that statement, and humbled, he smiled warmly, and came forward to kiss d'Artagnan on the forehead.

"Rest then, little brother." A single tear fell onto the boy's brow, but neither of them made any mention of it. "And we shall stay here until you wake." And he was confident now, that despite his injuries, d'Artagnan would survive this. He had to. His arrival had filled a place in their hearts that had long been empty. There would not be another Marsac, there would not be another Thomas. D'Artagnan could never be lost to them.


End file.
